Interview Confidence …

One of the key things that you need during the interview process is confidence. Confidence in your abilities, confidence in your fit for the role, confidence that the Company are making a good choice when they interview you for this role. This should not be confused with arrogance which is of course a different thing entirely.

CONFIDENCE is generally described as a state of being certain either that a hypothesis or prediction is correct or that a chosen course of action is the best or most effective.

You know you are going for the right role, you know you can do the job, you know you are a good fit for the Company, therefore everything you need to feel confident is available to you. So how do you carry this through to feeling good on the day?

Firstly set your positive intention. See yourself successfully attending this meeting. See the outcome as positive.

Next do your research on the role and the Company. Know enough about them and what they are looking for to feel sure that you can answer the questions they are going to ask.

Wear smart interview clothes that are comfortable. If things ride up, fall down, gape or become over-stretched when you sit down you are going to fidget which even if you feel confident gives the impression that you are not

Practice sitting in front of friends or family. Sound funny? Some of us fiddle with our hands, touch our face, scratch our nose or do other habitual movements which will again give a less than confident impression to your interviewer. Try practicing sitting upright, back straight, legs together with your hands in your lap. Head up, eyes forward, smile in place.

If you are being asked to present practice your presentation, out loud, at least twice. This will give you the intonations and timing and make it sound fluid when you do it on the day. Remember your school play and the rehearsals; this is what you were building up to

Speak slowly, clearly and try to use full words without abbreviations or slang (unless they are job related). Do not swear, ever, even if the interviewer does!

If you are presenting to a number of people and looking at the multiple faces makes you gulp, fixate on an object behind the group, somewhere not too far from eye-level, so it looks like you are looking at the audience but you don’t have to see them and therefore focus on what you think they might be thinking (you will have it wrong anyway, the only person that thinks the way you do is YOU)

Throughout it all smile, make eye-contact as and when you can, engage with the other people on a human level, they are just like you, unsure of their own greatness, possibly even nervous about conducting an interview. Be kind. Be friendly. Be likeable. Be professional whilst viewing the interviewer as a friendly person you are going to like.

For help increasing your confidence or making the transition from where you are to where you want to be please contact one of our Consultant Coaches at churchillbrook@gmail.com